basically you can now get away with having a loaded gun concealed IN YOUR CAR within reach...

That is basically the gist of it.

BTW it is risky... police still really don't know where to stand... and LOTS of places in Texas for example Houston have a arrest on site policy when there is an unlicensed gun in the car.
Regardless of the law...
It's a huge headache...
Kinda you can beat the time but you gotta take the ride... or however that saying goes.

From a Tx LEO...don't do it. Get your CHL. The word travelling is not really defined and thus varies from city to city, county to county and DA to DA, etc....Plus the burden of proof is on you. Just get your CHL. If you choose to carry in a car without it just know that you open yourself up to alot of heartache and giving your money to a lawyer.

according to my CHL instructor and ex-cop the new law means it is legal to carry a concealed handgun in your vehicle. it has more to do with the castle doctrine than the word traveling. you can protect yourself in your home without CHL now you can protect yourself in your car. seems like a carjack/homejack thing. just the way i understood it from class last weekend. if you're not comfortable doing it, DON'T!

HB1815 made it legal to carry a handgun from your residence to your vehicle, inside your vehicle, and from your vehicle to your place of work (assuming your work allows it), as long as you are not a gang member, not engaging in a criminal act, can legally possess a handgun in the state of TX, and the handgun is concealed. Google HB 1815 for specifics.

The "travelling" part was taken out because it was never defined and too ambiguous. Some DA's or Officers considered "traveling" to be going across 3 (or 4 or 5 or ????) county lines, having an overnight bag, planning on spending the night, yada yada yada. HB1815 removed the "travelling" part because there were alot of DA's/LE's who still refused to follow the law. Apparently, they didn't/don't realize that you don't have to leave your town/city/county to be carjacked/robbed/whatever.

If you are going to carry on your person, you need to get your CHL. You shouldn't "have" to get it but it is the law. Oh yeah, and the State needs the money.

From a Tx LEO...don't do it. Get your CHL. The word travelling is not really defined and thus varies from city to city, county to county and DA to DA, etc....Plus the burden of proof is on you. Just get your CHL. If you choose to carry in a car without it just know that you open yourself up to alot of heartache and giving your money to a lawyer.

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My county (Fort Bend) informed my agency of the new travelling law when it passed. My agency no longer arrest for unlawfully carrying a weapon if we find one in your car (sans CHL); doesn't mean others won't.

+1 on getting a CHL. Without it, you have to leave your gun in your vehicle when you go to a mall, restaurant or grocery. That's just one more thing to steal out of your car and you'd end up arming a felon.

My county (Fort Bend) informed my agency of the new travelling law when it passed. My agency no longer arrest for unlawfully carrying a weapon if we find one in your car (sans CHL); doesn't mean others won't.

I still tell people to get a CHL.

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I know you won't like this Jesse, but you have the complete wrong attitude, like I'd expect from a cop. "My agency no longer arrests fo unlawfully carrying a weapon..." THAT'S BECAUSE IT'S NOT UNLAWFUL!

Granted, I don't pack while in my car currently (no chl, and getting one has been delayed since I was turned into a dog chew toy), unless TRAVELING to the range, where my firearms are in the trunk.

From a Tx LEO...don't do it. Get your CHL. The word travelling is not really defined and thus varies from city to city, county to county and DA to DA, etc....Plus the burden of proof is on you. Just get your CHL. If you choose to carry in a car without it just know that you open yourself up to alot of heartache and giving your money to a lawyer.

Click to expand...

I agree with the get your CHL part of this, but two legislative sessions and a TSRA/ACLU study have been spent defining this, so to say it's not defined is truly to be uninformed. Read the statute.

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